Our parent application claims an improvement in the art of self-watering systems which comprise a water holding basin; a water using attachment adapted for mounting thereon; locking means for mounting and locking the water using attachment on the basin; means comprising a water conduit for transporting water to the basin; means comprising a fill valve for filling the basin with water to a selected water level line which leaves air space above the surface of the water when the basin is filled with a volume of water to the selected water level line; and water transfer means for transferring water from the basin to the water using attachment when the latter is mounted on the former. The improvement claimed therein has (a) a water basin which comprises (i) an axial positioned port in the bottom of the basin which provides access into the interior of the basin for water transported thereto by the water conduit; and (ii) seating means on the interior surface of the basin for securing and mounting the fill valve onto the interior surface of the bottom of the basin over the port therein; (b) a fill valve which is an adjustable diaphragm fill valve which is either water tight mounted or adapted to be water tight mounted on the interior surface of the bottom of the basin and is adapted to maintain the volume of water in the basin at the selected water level line and comprises a water inlet port adapted for water tight connection through the port in the bottom of the basin to the water conduit and for receiving water from the source thereof; a water outlet port for dispensing into the basin water received from the inlet port; and a gas port for maintaining the diaphragm of the fill valve at ambient pressure; (c) a water conduit which projects substantially radially outwardly from the port in the bottom of the basin beyond the side wall of the basin and above the lower edge thereof and is adapted for connection to the source of the water; and (d) the diaphragm fill valve is connected to a gas conduit for accessing the valve to ambient air.
Disclosed therein as examples of water using attachments are a plant pot, an animal waterer/feeder, an underground spring for below-ground watering, a bird bath, a hummingbird feeder, an amphibian habitat, an animal/bird cage, a plant pot and a water toy.
A diaphragm valve suitable for use in the above-described self-watering system is claimed in our parent application is a modification claimed in our ""600 patent of the diaphragm valve adapted for use in toilets and claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,606. Our U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,290 claims an adjustable reservoir fill valve suitable for use in such a self-watering system and a combination thereof with a valve mounting base adapted for mounting the fill valve thereon, which comprises a liquid inlet port adapted to connect it to a source of water under pressure and seating means on the upper surface thereof for detachably mounting the fill valve thereon.
Wicks suitable for use in the water handling devices having water transfer means are described in our parent ""289 application and also disclosed in our prior filed provisional application S.N. 60/105,038, filed Oct. 20, 1998.
All of the foregoing is disclosed in PCT application US/96/10493, published Dec. 19, 1996. The references cited in the specifications of these applications and patents and the References Cited therein describe the prior art relevant to the subject matter of this application.
The terms xe2x80x9cwaterxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cliquidxe2x80x9d when used herein ordinarily mean municipal tap water or well water but also includes aqueous solutions containing one or more of plant or animal nutrients, pesticides, algaecides, disinfectants and therapeutic agents. Without straying from the scope of the present invention, the basin, its attachments, valve and the portable valve base can be made of materials resistant to corrosive or solvent liquids and therefore enable the invention to utilize other liquids including but not limited to; photo-finishing chemicals, fuels and solvents, plasma, saline solutions, cosmetic and food liquids, fragrances, surfactants, dyes and other liquids at or near the consistency of water.
In a first aspect, this invention relates to an a combination comprising a container for growing plants having a substantially non-porous and solid side wall and bottom and at least one aerating root pruner (a) which is in the shape of an elongate tube or conduit with a plurality of perforations or openings therein which provide a high ratio of open areas to total vertical wall surface area, (b) which is positioned in or adapted to be positioned at a fixed relatively vertical position proximate to the interior surface of the side wall of the container prior to filling the container with plant growing medium, (c) whose upper end projects nearly to or above the top of the container; (d) whose lower end is positioned proximate the bottom of the container in communication with the atmosphere through a port in the side wall or bottom of the container; and (e) which is removably affixed to the side wall of the container, whereby the pruner can if desired be cleaned interiorly of roots of a growing plant planted in the container which invade the interior of the pruner and can be removed prior to or concurrently with the removal of the growing plant from the container.
In an automatic watering device aspect, this invention relates to an automatic watering device for dispensing water from a source of water under pressure to a growing plant, comprising:
(a) a basin for holding a volume of water, the basin having a closed bottom, at least one side wall and an open top, the basin comprising a water inlet port adapted to connect the basin to the source of water under pressure; and
(b) a fill valve mounted on the interior wall of the bottom of the basin for maintaining a volume of water in the basin at a predetermined level, the fill valve comprising:
an inlet in liquid communication with the water inlet port of the basin;
at least one water outlet port for dispensing water from the fill valve into the interior of the basin;
(c) a plate which covers the open top of the basin and which has at least one port therein in liquid communication with a tube or conduit having an open upper end and a closed lower end, whose upper end is mounted on the bottom face of the plate and projects downwardly therefrom and which has a perforated bottom portion which projects below the predetermined level at which the volume of water in the basin is maintained.